Closed-season fishing was to avoid fisheries ‘crush’ - Ministry

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development says its projection shows that fisheries are on the verge of “crushing” and had wanted to prevent it through the closed-season fishing.

Chief Director at the Ministry, Prof. Francis Nunoo, predicted on 3FM’s Sunrise, Monday August 6, their inability to enforce the closed-season fishing may cause an entire depletion of the fisheries if care is not taken.

“Our projection as a Ministry indicates that current stock level is between 10 to 13% of the highest catch and whenever it goes below 10% the fisheries will crush and we have reached between 10 to 13 percent we are just at the tip of it that it could crush and we wanted to avoid it” , he said.

As part of government’s decision to protect fish stock, the ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development had announced a closed-season fishing to start from August 7 but cabinet has since suspended it.

The suspension of the ban as announced by the sector minister was to allow fishers who had resisted the ban ample time to prepare and comply next year.

Prof. Francis Nunoo noted that even though the ministry has suspended the ban, giving green light to fishers to go work, measures have been put in place to illegal fishing. He warned fishers against illegal fishing.

“If they continue to fish this way then they are going to lose their livelihood in a long time so they should stop fishing in the current way and fish in a more sustainable way to protect the stock”, he said.

He stated the ministry is trying to set up a new roadmap that will engage the fishers this year so that they are adequately prepared for the rolled out next year.